Fastening device for garments



Jun=16.1942- N. E. v. GRAHAM 2,286,8 0

FASTENING DEVICE FOR GARMENTS Filed Feb. 13, 1944) at liner/for llf/Z 6317M Patented June 16, 1942 Y UNITED STATES iATENT :0 F F-I'CE 2,286,850 FASTENING DEVICE GARMENTS Neta Evelyn Victoria Graham, l cnton England Application February 13, 194-0, serial No. 318,747 In Great Britain August 4, 1939 10 Claims.

This invention relates to fasteningdevices for garments and has for its object improvements by means of which a garment can readilybe provided with means whereby it can be secured-on a wearer with the girth of its Waistband, or-the length of its shoulder-straps, or other dimension, adjusted to a desired degree.

A fastening device according to the present-invention, comprises a strip of fabric provided with two or more pockets situated one behind the other and having their openings transverse with respect to said strip, adapted to be sewn or otherwisese cured to one portion of a garment and adapted to co-operate with one or more hooks or the like secured to another portion of the garment that is adapted to be connected to thefirst saidportion by its hook or'hooks engagingione or more of said pockets. Alternatively, two or more pockets similarly arranged, may be formed in or on the fabric of a portion of the garment and be adapted. to co-operate rwith a hook or hooks on another portion of said garment in like manner. In some cases, two or more series of said pockets may be provided and be arranged side by side, so

as to co-operate with hooks also arranged side by side, singly or in series.

The aforesaid pockets may be formed in any suitable known manner, as by Weaving them integrally with the aforesaid strip of fabric or portion of a garment, or they may be formed by 11 folding said strip or garmentand securing the folds in a desired position by sewing or by any other. suitable means; or separate pieces of fabric may be so applied bystitching, stapling or by any other suitable means, to said strip or garment as to form said pockets.

According to onemode of forming the pockets, whether they are in a portion of the garment or in a separate piece of fabric adapted to be attached thereto, the garment or piece of fabric, as the case may be, is pleated transversely and sewn along two parallel lines that cross the pleats to form pockets between said lines of sewing. Alternatively, the pleats may be held in position by an adhesive. More than one line of sewing or adhesive maybe applied at each side of each pocket to give them greater strength and in some cases the pleated portion of the garment or the separate pleated piece of fabric may be sewn or otherwise secured to a piece of unpleated fabric, which may be resiliently extensible, to reinforce it and in this case, the piece of reinforcing fabric may be attached to the pleated material by means of the parallel lines of stitching that form the pockets.

In some cases instead of formingthe :linespfistitchihg. 1

in practicalastrip of fabric may be provided withfiplurality .of transverse pockets according to QthlSjill-Vt-glltiQh, at intervals along its length and be adapted-tote cut into lengths containing two or more of said pockets to be secured to a "so that a; wearer whose bust requires a 32-inch brassifor may adjusti the Waist measurement eitherway to compensate for her variation from the proportion ofthetfisure for which the brassiere wasjdesigned or to provide sizes and fittings intermediate between those normally mass-produced. Similarly, the shoulder-straps may be provided with said pockets at one end adapted to Q: I1Glfijt6 W;ithia hook attached to the top of the breast-po kets or' heiloaok of the brassi to enable their lengths to be ad usted.

According to another modified construction, a deep-backed ,brassiere, corselctte or corset is providedwith a plurality of series of pockets accordi g t thisinvention, so s t enabl a w arer to ause: hooks on'an dj cent-par to en a e p kets differently disposed inqeach series so as to mold thefsermentsto her fi re- In orde rth t th pres inven i n m y be mo eol ar under tood, i w l ow b more p r icular y d scribed with re re c to the om anyi d awina, n Whi h Figure 1 is a plan View of a strip of material provided with a series of pockets according to one mbo i en of the in ention,

Figure 2 is an" edge view of the strip shown in Figure l before-it has ,been'secured by the longitudi al lines of s hin Figure .3 .5a view si milar to Figure 2, but i1- lustrating mod-ifiedconstruction,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, illustrating a variant of the construction shown in Figures 2 or 3,

Figure 5 is a rear view of part of a deepbacked brassiere provided with another modified form of fastening device according to the present invention, and

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate further modified constructions of fastening device.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a strip a of fabric which is preferably provided with a selvage on each side, is folded to form the pleats b and sewn longitudinally at cd to form pockets e adapted to be engaged by a hook of any suitable construction, such for instance as that shown at the right-hand side of Figure 5. This strip is adapted to be cut into lengths to be secured in appropriate positions on garments or may itself form an attachment strap of a garment or part of one.

According to the modified construction shown in Figure 3, the strip a, after it has been folded to form the pleats b, is sewn to a reinforcing strip 1 by the longitudinal lines of stitching ad which are not shown. The reinforcing strip may be extensible or non-extensible and in the latter case may form part of an attachment strap incorporating an extensible element.

According to the construction illustrated by Figure 4, the pockets are formed by sewing, in a manner similar to that described with reference to Figure 1, a plurality of pieces of fabric a folded, as shown, together. In some cases the pieces of fabric a may be sewn to a strip of reinforcing fabric 1, as shown.

In Figure 5, the two rearwardly directed portions gh of a deep-backed brassirc are shown, the part 9 being folded to form the transverse pleats b which are secured by the longitudinal lines of stitching ed to form five series of pockets e adapted to be engaged alternatively by the hooks i secured to the part h. Each of the five series of pockets as shown, comprises three pockets placed one behind the other and the wearer may either cause the hooks i to engage the corresponding pockets of each series or may cause the two lower hooks i say, to engage pockets further removed from the free edge of the part g, so as to provide a reduced measurement around her diaphragm. In this way, particularly in the case of a corselette or corset provided with a large number of series of pockets according to this invention, by causing the hooks to engage different pockets in each series, the garment may either be moulded to the wearers figure or be caused to apply corrective pressures to different parts of her body covered by said garment.

The modification shown in Figure 6 consists in stitching strips kl of tape to the pleated strip a by lines of stitching cd so that besides reinforcing the pockets e thus formed, said strips kl form the sides of said pockets.

Figure 7 illustrates still another modification according to which open-ended pockets 6? are formed by stitching transverse pieces of tape or the like 111. to an unpleated strip of fabric a by lines of stitching 0 d Conveniently, the pieces of tape m are sewn along each side to the strip a by a wavy line of stitching, such as shown at n, so that the components n of said lines attach said tapes to the strip a in a manner to prevent accidental engagement with the hooks and the components n by missing the edges of the tape altogether, leave the openings to the pockets free. In some cases the bottoms of the pockets may be closed by a straight line of stitching (not shown).

It will be understood that although a single series of pockets have been shown in Figure 1, more than one may be provided and similarly,

: less or more than two series of pockets may be formed in the manner described with reference to Figures 4 and 6. It will also be understood that whilst a practical application of the invention to the waist-band and shoulder straps of a brassiere has been referred to, this has been purely by way of illustration and that the invention is applicable to a variety of uses, such, for instance, as providing adjustable waistbands for trousers, or by providing the opposite ends of the elastic loop employed for stocking suspenders with pockets and hooks to render the suspenders adjustable in length. Furthermore, whilst one hook or a plurality of hooks side by side have been stated to be adapted to engage said pockets, or series of pockets respectively, two or more hooks that are arranged one behind the other, may be employed to engage two or more pockets in the same longitudinal line.

I claim:

1. A unitary fastening device comprising a strip of fabric, parts disposed tranversely thereof, transversely spaced rows of stitching extending longitudinally entirely across said parts to provide a plurality of spaced apart pockets independent of each other with separable portions between them and. arranged one behind the other with their openings transverse thereto and adapted to be alternatively engaged by co-operating means.

2. A fastening device for incorporation in a garment comprising a strip of fabric adapted to be secured to one part of a garment and a plurality of spaced apart pockets independent of each other with separable portions between them and arranged one behind the other in said strip, said pockets being in the form of pleats producing double walls over the openings to the pockets with their openings tranverse thereto and adapted to be alternatively engaged by co-operating means on another part of said garment that is to be connected to the first said part and transversely spaced apart rows of stitching extending longitudinally entirely across the pleats to secure them to the portions of the strips which they respectively overlap.

3. A unitary fastening device for incorporation in a garment comprising a strip of fabric adapted to be secured to one part of a garment; a plurality of spaced apart pleats formed in said strip arranged one behind the other, and two unpleated tapes respectively secured transversely to said pleats in two spaced apart positions so as to form pockets with their openings transverse to said strip adapted to be engaged alternatively by co-operating means on another part of said garment that is to be connected to the first said part.

4. A fastening device for a garment comprising a plurality of spaced apart pleats formed in one part of a garment arranged one behind the other, and two unpleated tapes respectively secured transversely to said pleats in two positions by rows of stitching extending entirely across the pleats so as to form pockets of which the tapes constitute the sides adapted to be engaged alternatively by co-operating means on another part of said garment that is to be connected to the first said part, the openings of said pockets being arranged in a direction transverse to the direction of pull.

5. A fastening device for incorporation in a garment comprising a strip of fabric adapted to be secured to one part of a garment; a plurality of bars of fabric secured transversely to said strip of fabric by rows of stitching extending entirely across the strip so as to form a plurality of independent pockets of which the bars constitute the sides arranged one behind the other with their openings transverse to said strip and adapted to be alternatively engaged by co-operating means on another part of said garment that is to be connected to the first said part, said bars being spaced apart and the strip being severable between the bars.

6, A fastening device for a garment comprising a plurality of initially separate bars of fabric arranged in parallel relationship secured by rows of stitching extending entirely across the strip to one part or a garment so as to form a plurality of pockets of which the bars constitute the sides arranged one behind the other and adapted to be alternatively engaged by co-operating means on another part of said garment that is to be connected to the first said part, the openings of said pockets being arranged in a direction transverse to the direction of pull.

7. A garment having one of its main body walls constituting a fastening device comprising a strip of fabric secured to one part thereof; a plurality of pockets associated with said strip arranged one behind the other with their openings transverse thereto to coact with engaging means associated with another part of said garment that is to be connected to the first said part,

adapted to engage said pockets alternatively so as to adjust the size of the garment.

8.- A garment having one of its main body walls constituting a fastening device and comprising a plurality of pleats forming pockets arranged one behind the other adapted for engagement alternatively by a coacting fastening means on another part of said garment so as to adjust the size of the garment; the openings of said pockets being arranged in a direction transverse to the direction of pull.

9. A garment having oneof its main body walls constituting a fastening device and including a piece of fabric forming a plurality of parallel series of pockets, the pockets in each said series being arranged one behind the other; and adapted for coaction with means on another part of said garment to respectively engage pockets in each said series in such a manner as to enable the shape and size of the garment to be varied; the openings of said pockets being arranged in a direction transverse to the direction of pull.

10. A garment having one of its main body walls constituting a fastening device and comprising a plurality of pleats forming parallel series of pockets associated with one part of said garment arranged one behind the other adapted for coaction with fastening means on another part of said garment adapted to respectively engage pockets in each said series in such a manner as to enable the shape and size of the garment to be varied; the openings of said pockets being arranged in a direction transverse to the direction of pull.

N. E. VICTORIA GRAHAMv 

